Kudus are members of the tribe of antelopes known as “Tragelaphini.” Males in this tribe all have spiral horns and white vertical stripes, and are much larger than females. Other spiral-horned antelopes in our Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem study area include bushbucks (photo below left) and elands (photo below center).

While kudus are cryptic and difficult to spot as they hide in the bushes, we usually see one or two lesser kudus (Tragelaphus imberbis) during our surveys for hoofed mammals (see photo above right). We were thrilled this past week to see an antelope we have not yet seen – a greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). The stunning male greater kudu has the longest horns of any antelope, and differs from the lesser kudu by having a throat beard (see photos below).

We are happy to expand our list of ungulates we are monitoring in our study area to include this magnificent creature.